A specific news development in a given week can be so important that to fail to address it is to offend deeply some portion of the congregation - and, indeed, to fail in the Christian preaching/teaching task. Trying to offer a transcendent word sounds nice but can become an excuse for avoiding messy subjects.Īrdent activists from both “sides” can place pressure on church leaders to take up what they consider to be important issues, and to do so openly and clearly. Vague preaching is fairly pitiful, really.

Oblique treatment of important subjects can be little better than not addressing the issues at all. Pastors can be lambasted (or lambaste themselves) for ducking important subjects that are explicitly addressed by Jesus or in Scripture.

“Vague preaching is fairly pitiful, really.”īut there are all kinds of problems along this path. They may be doing so for pragmatic reasons, civic reasons or even theological reasons related to the priority of unity in Christ’s body. I am quite confident this is the approach many leaders of purple churches are indeed attempting. Aware of easily flammable political divisions in their midst, they avoid going near the most sensitive subjects - or try to address them obliquely - or try, through the treatment of biblical texts and themes that challenge all members, to offer a transcendent word from God that does not fit current red/blue categories. This might mean that purple church leaders should choose to preach, teach and program in ways intended to maintain the peace and unity of their congregations. In light of all this trouble, and if maintaining civil peace is a value worth seeking, leaders of purple churches arguably have not just an opportunity but a moral obligation to lead in such a way as to keep their diverse congregations together. Look around for any such context - sports team fans, the military, and (some) businesses come to mind - and celebrate their very existence, because they help keep our tattered national tapestry from tearing apart. It can be argued that any contexts in which red and blue America get together and stay together are very important. These churches are sometimes called “purple churches.” In a society tearing along red/blue lines, such purple churches are playing a very significant political role simply by existing, by holding in community those who disagree in their partisan and ideological commitments. where Red Team and Blue Team and Unaffiliated Team members remain in meaningful relationships with each other.

Churches (some of them, at least) are among the increasingly rare places in the U.S.

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